Oral history and national stories: theory and practice in the Gulf Cooperation Council

Rachel Teskey · 12th July 2016

Our Lead researcher, Rachel Teskey, and Barker Langham alumna, Norah Alkhamis, have written a chapter for new publication: Representing the Nation: Heritage, Museums, National Narratives and Identity in the Arab Gulf States.

Their paper, “Oral history and national stories: theory and practice in the Gulf Cooperation Council”, argues for the great potential of oral history in contributing to museum narratives in the Gulf region. Via an examination of the characteristics of the oral culture of the Gulf, it presents the theoretical and practical aspects of the complex, but immensely rewarding, process of conducting oral history. And it explores the opportunities that oral history offers to communicate with visitors, to promote cross-cultural and cross-generational understanding, and to provide a distinctive perspective on both the past and the present.